Review: Most Likely, Sarah Watson

Written by the creator of The Bold Type (a TV show I loved!), highlighting female friendships… On paper, Most Likely had everything to convince me. Did it really? Check out my full review to find out!

Most Likely (Most Likely, #1) by Sarah Watson
Published by Scholastic on April 2, 2020
Genres: contemporary, young adult
Format: Paperback
Buy on Amazon, Book Depository, Wordery, Bookshop
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From the creator of the hit TV series The Bold Type comes an empowering and heartfelt novel about a future female president's senior year of high school.
Ava, CJ, Jordan, and Martha (listed in alphabetical order out of fairness) have been friends since kindergarten. Now they're in their senior year, facing their biggest fears about growing up and growing apart. But there's more than just college on the horizon. One of these girls is destined to become the president of the United States. The mystery, of course, is which girl gets the gig.
Is it Ava, the picture-perfect artist who's secretly struggling to figure out where she belongs? Or could it be CJ, the one who's got everything figured out...except how to fix her terrible SAT scores? Maybe it's Jordan, the group's resident journalist, who knows she's ready for more than their small Ohio suburb can offer. And don't overlook Martha, who will have to overcome all the obstacles that stand in the way of her dreams.
This is the story of four best friends who have one another's backs through every new love, breakup, stumble, and success--proving that great friendships can help young women achieve anything... even a seat in the Oval Office.

☂️ TRIGGER WARNINGS:

depression, mention of drug addiction, racism, sexism, ableism.

☂️ DIVERSITY:Queer main character, disabled side character (in a wheelchair), main character dealing with depression.

There are no spoilers in this review.

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I ENJOYED…

☂️

• Most Likely is the story of 4 seniors in high school, best friends since kindergarden, trying to make the most out of their senior year and to figure out their future… where one of them is going to become President.
• Right from the start, I was intrigued by the 4 main characters. Knowing one of them would become President of the United States, I couldn’t help but seek out clues in every page in read, wanting to know who it was. One thing I loved is that I didn’t see everything coming, at all. One moment, I thought about one character and on the next page, I changed my mind. This little guessing game made this YA contemporary read a little more exciting! Most exciting of it all: I was actually surprised by the outcome. No spoilers, of course, but I liked it!
• Told from 4 different points of view, we get to follow Ava, Jordan, CJ and Marta as each of them go through their last year of high school and face their own struggles. Of course, with multiple characters, I ended up having my preference, but I liked that each of them felt a little different, had their own background, stories and their own growth, too.
  • Ava was my favorite one. Adopted, she’s wondering about her birth mom. She’s also battling with depression. I really felt the most connected to Ava, her awkwardness, her shyness at times, yet her strong artistic skills and her deep need to find herself and her family. I loved her!
  • CJ is an overachiever, wanting to do great things but unable to keep her SAT scores right. I liked her determination so much and it was wonderful to see her change and grow.
  • Jordan’s the journalist, digging for the truth, her obstination sometimes taking her into complicated situations. She’s the badass of the little group and I had a lot of fun reading her POV.
  • Finally, Marta’s struggling with making ends meet, while also desperately wanting to get out of this city and do something more.
• One of the best things about Most Likely is, obviously, the focus on friendships. These 4 girls have each others’ backs no matter what, they will show up in the middle of the night if you need them to and it’s just so, so wonderful. I loved this about this book so much.

• There’s a little bit of romance here and there for the characters, but I appreciated that it didn’t feel overwhelming. While it was fun to read and I was definitely rooting for some characters to get together, it didn’t hinder the characters’ journey and growth.

I HAD A HARD TIME WITH…

☂️

• While I really enjoyed this book overall, I have to admit that I was a bit frustrated by two things in the story. The first one is, no spoilers, Jordan and Scott’s storyline. It felt a little… strange and uncomfortable, too.
• The second complain I have about Most Likely is the whole President of the United States story. While I loved guessing who would end up in that spot, I would have appreciated seeing a little more on that area. Knowing why the girl that ended up there did. I wanted to hear about a little more of her journey from high school to that moment very later on that led her there.

OVERALL

☂️

Most Likely is an entertaining YA contemporary with a great focus on friendships. The girls’ journey and their struggles in their senior year of high school will certainly appeal to a lot of people and the little guessing game made it all the more fun, too. Recommending it to fans of YA contemporary reads for sure.

FINAL RATING : 4 stars!

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📚 Books similar to Most Likely that I’d recommend:

• For more young adult stories about friendships, check out our list of YA books with friendships.

Did you read Most Likely or do you want to? Do you have any recommendations of books focused on friendships? Let me know in comments!

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